186EASTERN MYANMAR
INLE LAKE
Nampan VILLAGE
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South of Ywama, the peaceful village of
Nampan is built on stilts over the water. It’s
off the main tourist circuit, but the Alodaw
Pauk Pagoda (Map p 185 ) is one of the oldest
shrines on the lake. Built on stilts over the
water, the whitewashed stupa enshrines a
fabulous gem-encrusted, Shan-style buddha.
Nampan has several small cheroot facto-
ries and there are some good restaurants on
the edge of the village.Floating Gardens GARDENS
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(Map p 185 ) North of Nampan are these fa-
mous gardens, where Intha farmers grow
fl owers, tomatoes, squash and other fruit
and vegetables on long wooden trellises sup-
ported on fl oating mats of vegetation. In the
morning and afternoon, farmers paddle up
and down between the rows tending their
crops. It’s a bucolic scene made all the more
photogenic by the watery setting.In Phaw Khone VILLAGE
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(Map p 185 ) This tidy village of teak stilt houses
is famous for its weaving workshops. Build-
ings across the village vibrate with the clatter
of shuttles and the click-clack of shifting loom
frames. The workshops are a popular stop
on the tourist circuit, and it’s fascinating to
see the skill of the weavers as they produce
ornate, multicoloured fabrics on looms made
from bamboo poles lashed together with rope.Maing Thauk VILLAGE
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(Map p 185 ) On the eastern side of the lake, the
village of Maing Thauk has a split personality –
half the village is set on dry land, while the
other half sits on stilts over the water, linked
to the shore by a 450yd wooden bridge.
Inland from the village’s main road, a few
crumbling gravestones near the orphanagemark the location of the colonial-era Fort
Steadman.
You can continue walking uphill to a
peaceful forest monastery (Map p 185 ) for
good views over the lake. Maing Thauk is ac-
cessible by boat and by road – you can cycle
to Maing Thauk in an hour or so along a dirt
track leading southeast from Nyaungshwe. Southern End of the Lake
At the southern end of the lake, the village
of Thaung Tho (off Map p 185 ) holds an im-
portant tribal market every fi ve days. This
market sees far fewer visitors than the one
at Inthein. A long walkway leads uphill from
town to a complex of whitewashed Shan
stupas. There are more interesting stops
in this part of the lake; the village of Kyauk
Taung (off Map p 185 ) is devoted to pottery-
making and is also part of the market circuit,
while nearby Kyaing Kan (off Map p 185 ) spe-
cialises in weaving robes using lotus threads.
A long canal at the bottom of Inle Lake
winds south through peaceful countryside
to a second lake ringed by Shan, Intha and
Pa-O villages. It takes around three hours
from Shwenyuang to reach the largest village,
Sankar (Samka; off Map p 185 ), once the seat of a
Shan hereditary prince. On the opposite side
of the lake is Tharkong Pagoda, a collection
of crumbling zedi and stucco sculptures that
date back at least 500 years. The main attrac-
tion here is the almost total absence of other
tourists – visits to this area have only been
permitted since 2003 and foreigners must still
be accompanied by a Pa-O guide. Guided boat
trips to Sankar should be arranged through
Golden Island Cottages (p 183 ); guides cost
$10 and there’s a permit fee of $5. 2 Activities
Motorboat Trips
It is de rigueur to take at least one boat
trip on the lake during a visit to Inle. Every
morning, a fl otilla of slender wooden ca-
noes fi tted with long-tailed outboard motors
surges out into the lake, transporting visi-
tors to various natural, cultural, religious,
historical or commercial sites.
The lake itself is rich in wildlife, especially
waterfowl. The area around the lake has been
protected as the Inle Wetland Bird Sanctu-
ary, an offi cial bird sanctuary, since 1985 and
you’ll see herons, warblers, cormorants, wild
ducks and egrets as you zip along the chan-
nels between the villages. But you won’t hear
them – or the comments of fellow passengers
for that matter – over the thunder of theLAKEFRONT VIEWCutting through the morning mist on
Inle Lake is one of Myanmar’s must-do
experiences. Be sure to bring a coat or
sweater (it can get cold out there), and
in addition to the usual sights, be sure
to hit the fi ve-day market (p 183 ).